I understand using hostess from model or advertising agency that to be more beautiful then ordinary but establishment only need one ore two hostess. The modelling agencies may not be able to supply workers who have the skill to serve a table and not just have a pretty face.
version one
So, in my experience, the whole
“actress-model-waitress” thing isn’t a cliché — it’s a career bouquet. Triple threat, but make it tipsy and fabulous.
You work the floor at a hotspot in Toronto or Montreal with the right outfit and the right energy? Boom — you’re pulling in four figures in tips before midnight, and still home in time to steam your lashes for an audition.
A lot of my friends in school did the restaurant circuit — not because they weren’t talented, but because, spoiler alert: acting and modelling don’t exactly pay well
unless you're already famous, or sleeping with someone who is. And sometimes both.
One of my stunning friends — we’re talking “makes influencers cry in the washroom” levels of hot — got asked by her agent to “bring some friends for a gig.” What he
meant was:
A) Women
B) Bombshells
She brought:
A) Me
B) A confusingly confident energy.
Now, I don’t blame her. She thought the assignment was “cool people with charisma.” He was casting “human clickbait.”
And these days? A lot of women are skipping the bar scene entirely and building digital empires instead. OnlyFans, private socials, VIP content. It’s not sleazy — it’s savvy. It’s body autonomy with a business plan. In the time it takes most guys to send an unsolicited pic, these girls are writing tax-deductible captions.
I knew an escort who started in food service, bounced into promo work, then went back to escorting because the pay was just that much better. Not because she had no other option — because she
understood her value. She did the math. She chose herself. Honestly? Power move.
And on the flip side — I’ve seen professional dancers, absolute forces of nature, perform in music videos for
exposure. And I don’t mean “people will see your work,” I mean literal cold wind on a rooftop set at 3 a.m. And they still slayed.
Same thing’s happened to me — doing brilliant, backbreaking work for clients who say things like, “We don’t have a budget, but we’ve got passion!” Great. Passion doesn’t cover rent, babe. Passion doesn’t buy ring lights.
Thing is — whether it’s a waitress, a dancer, an escort, or a strategist doing twenty hours of work for “visibility” — talent and pay are often in totally different universes. Sometimes you’re overpaid for existing; sometimes you’re underpaid for excellence. And both of those can feel like success, depending on who’s writing the cheque — and whether your heels are higher than their standards.
first draft
So, it’s been my experience that “actress-slash-model-slash-waitress” isn’t a career path — it’s a
starter pack. You’ve got the headshots, the cocktail tray, and a dream that smells vaguely like hair spray and rejection.
In the right venue — and I mean one with bottle service, bouncers, and at least one hockey player doing lines in the VIP — a model waitress can make over a grand a night. In tips. That’s not waitressing — that’s softcore capitalism.
Back in school, I knew plenty of girls juggling auditions and aprons. Because, fun fact — in your first year of acting or modelling, the only thing that shows up consistently is your
credit card bill. And your manager ghosting you.
One of my stunning friends — the kind of girl who makes mirrors nervous — was asked by her agent to “bring her friends to work.” What he meant was:
A) Female
B) Smoke-show
She brought:
A) Me
B) A tragic misunderstanding of the assignment.
Look, I’m not saying I’m unattractive — I’m saying if I show up, people assume I’m there to plug in the lighting rig.
And let’s be real — nowadays? Nobody’s waiting tables. If you’re hot and own a ring light, congratulations: you’re in business. OnlyFans, private Snap, “deluxe Instagram” — it’s like Patreon but for your thighs.
I knew an escort — started off in food service, did a bit of promo work, then quit because the promo gigs didn’t pay enough. Imagine being in
escorting and thinking
marketing was the real exploitation. That’s like leaving Parliament because the
bar tab wasn’t covered.
Now on the other side of the loon... I’ve met dancers —
legit talent, gorgeous, flexible, did major music videos — working
for free. For “exposure.” Exposure? Sweetheart, the only thing you should be doing for free is smiling politely at customs.
I’ve been there too. Done near-impossible work for clients who paid me in “future opportunities” and compliments. Why? Because I’m Canadian. And nothing screams
national identity like doing three people’s jobs and apologizing for being five minutes early.
Truth is, in this country — talent and money? They’re like Moose Jaw and fashion week: rarely seen in the same room.
